SENATE HEALTH, HUMAN SERVICES AND SENIOR CITIZENS COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 3907

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  DECEMBER 12, 2019

      The Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Senate Bill No. 3907.

      As amended, this bill requires a coroner, medical examiner, or health care professional who examines an individual whose death was caused by opioid use to report the death and the type of opioid that was the cause of death, if that information is ascertainable, to the Department of Health (DOH) in a manner determined by the Commissioner of Health.

      The DOH will be required to publish, on its Internet website, the number of deaths caused by opioids and the type of opioid that was the cause of death, if that information is ascertainable, according to reports received by the DOH pursuant to the bill.

      As reported by the committee with amendments, Senate Bill No. 3907 is identical to Assembly Bill No. 5446 (1R), which was also reported by the committee on this date.

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS:

      The committee amendments make clarifying and technical changes to the bill.